Something Spanish...

It has officially been one week since we touched ground in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As I logged in to write this post, the header on my page was in Spanish (actually, Castallano) I could not read it! Joe is sitting next to me watching a really important cultural event- soccer, or, excuse me- football. Of course, it too is in Castallano. Today I walked to the main street of our little town, City Bell, and bought some pintura (paint) at the hardware store to paint our coffee table. I forgot to tell them I didn't want something oil-based...so about two hours later I walked back to buy paint-thinner. On the way home I stopped at one of the many local bakery's and bought fresh rolls for our dinner tonight. Joe thought they were amazing. Today was a big day for us. We spent the whole day by ourselves as a family, with no guide, translator, etc., and made it! We walked to a remis station where we got a ride to Walmart, bought a bunch of stuff, and got another remis home! And all that without getting lost or shedding a tear. Big day! Some things I have learned in our short week here so far- a jug on top of a car means it is For Sale; everybody disappears everyday at siesta time, and all the stores close as well; restaurants don't open for dinner until at least 8pm; mosquitoes thrive here, even in winter; our neighbor has dogs, and they like to bark...a lot; green fuzzy Caterpillars are poisonous, don't touch, they sting; people are very friendly and everything is personal...to buy paint at the hardware store you cannot simply walk in and pick it out and buy it. First you take a number, then you carry on a conversation with the store associate who comes to help you, then you let them get everything for you. You always say hello and goodbye, "hola" and "chau". And anyone you know you greet with a kiss. Tomorrow is a very special day, as we have been invited over for our first ever Argentine Asado. We are very excited! We are also excited to learn Castallano so we can actually understand what our sweet neighbor is saying to us, and vice versa! Ministry is really hard when you cannot converse with people, which is why we are so pumped to learn the language and culture of the people here. It is comforting to know that God knows no linguistic or cultural bounds. He knows ALL our hearts and loves us all the same- He is not biased. Praise the Lord! Pictures coming soon...